Beneath the Spotlight

I finally arrived at the end of the world on January 1320. Standing at the last tower whilst the sunset on the west. Somehow I felt very out of place. I realise that reality and fantasy are not truth and lies. Such as he who reflects the truth and harsh cold reality that was misinterpreted. At least that's what I thought at the end of the day. I promised him to leave his sadness here. The recorder he gave me seems to be empty. Perhaps he doesn't even know how to use it. I can't hear anything but some strange noise which may be someone's sobbing. What would happen if everything you were told was a lie? What if you weren't really who you thought you were? What if you were but a mere tool for someone's entertainment? . . . Yesterday I believe I was a living human being. Yesterday I felt true love. Yesterday I believed I fought for my country. Today I discover I am but an empty shell that was written to believe he was human. Today he despises me from the very bottom of his heart. Today I discovered I was created and manipulated to live a life that's not mine. Can a tool truly feel emotions? Can we truly be human? Everything is an illusion. As we cross paths, as he lives for me— Is that... . . . I wonder... How rare and beautiful it is that an unwavering emotion exists inside this emptiness. ******** It should have been another day, farming. A rusty hovel, the scorching heat, a sweat bath, same old. From time to time, I have never left this field. Seeing the faces of the same people bored me to death. I only eat twice a week from a friend that sympathises with me. But if it's for her- For my dearest sister, that even a one-way trip to hell is fine. "Hey, farmer- Watch out!!" !!!... Startled. I froze as a black cauldron flew not even an inch above my head. Lost for words, I have never thought one day I would see a flying cauldron in my field. Holy paddy- I almost lost my head to a cauldron! That's so absurd. "Farmer- Are you okay?! You didn't get hurt right?!!" .. .... ...... ......... Huh? Who are you? "Farmer?" My mind went blank when I saw a tall man hurriedly run down the field. His appearance.. is quite uncanny in contrast to his good-looking face. Much more important, he has an unusual creepy presence. Why is he here? A peculiar man.. in a muddy paddy field? What is this situation? Should I just drive him away and curse at him? How should I respond? There's no guarantee that he's a good person. But isn't it rude to curse at him? What should I do? "G, Good day. You.. look wonderful" "... Pardon?" The man tilted his head in confusion. Taking a step back. Before I realized it, I blurted out a spontaneous lie to not be rude. Well, good grief- It backfired. I thought he wanted a compliment for his clothes. I mean, no one in the right mind would wear THAT. A pied robe with fur and laces all over the place. And in SUMMER?!! Mate, that sounds like t*****e. ".. I guess you're perfectly fine," he mumbled quietly. "You ought to be more careful, farmer" Showing a grimace, he gave my back a little pat. Looking closely at his face, I realised that the man before me is far from an ordinary human. Something was off. "How's your field?" He asked me, resting his hand on my shoulder. As if he doesn't have eyes for his own, the field is obviously ruined. And that's not even the problem now. This man is dangerous! "As an apology, I will give you-" PLAKk!!! "!!..." The man widened his eyes as I brush off his hand, not wanting to hear his offer. I reached my limit to tolerate this guy. There's something called common sense and sanity that this guy doesn't have. "... You know, isn't that quite rude?" Ignoring him, I went back to work. I don't have time to hear this guy's nonsense and dilemmas. The only thing he could offer that makes me happy is helping me farm the field. "Farmer, you're wasting your time. I warn you. Drop the shovel right now" ".. Good day" What do you know? You're a rich man. You won't understand the pain of being poor— Not having anything. That's what I thought. I wanted him to leave me alone. Though, what could a humble farmer like me do? My words aren't all meaningful in their ears. "Then, let me ask you something. Farmer, how goes farming your field?" Hard. I'm working right now. Planting rice for everyone in the kingdom. "Where's the rice that you've been farming? I don't see any of it nearby" ... Of course, I sold it. In the market. "Judging from your clothes, you've never gone to town, didn't you? You'll be rejected by the guard if you dressed that badly" .... Stop. What are you saying? "What's your name? I'm Alfred" Why would I tell you my name? I don't even know you. You're just a stranger. "You don't have a name. Farmer. Everyone calls you that and you're not the only farmer in this kingdom" I'm aware of it. I'm nobody. Even if I disappear from this world, you'll be just fine. So, stop. How far are you going to do this? "Why are you here? When was the last time you went home?" .... I can't remember. It has been such a long time. "Do you remember where's your home?" ....... "How about your parents and sister?" . . . Isn't that enough? I don't want to hear you. "How long have you been here? Farming under the scorching sun?" .. Years. That means I don't work hard enough to gain money. "You haven't moved from this field. You haven't farmed single rice yet." "You've never seen your family before. You don't even have a home. No warm cosy bed waiting for you. Either do sister and mother not exist in your life" ...... "You don't have a name. So who are you? What are you doing?" . . . .. I'm just a lowly humble farmer. Not less or more. Not knowing what happened, my hands stop moving. I don't dare to look back. I can't remember anything about home. I thought I love them so much. If all I'm doing is a lie... .... Well, does it matter? It's not going to change anything. Time won't halt. So do I. Like I said, what could I even do? Let's get back to work. I don't have time to be free. "Since I can't offer you any help, I'll take my leave." "Good day. You look wonderful" . . . Good grief. As I thought, I should have driven him away.